A standby period is defined by the sectoral determination as follows:

“…any period between 20h00 and 06h00 the next day when a domestic worker is required to be at the workplace and is permitted to rest or sleep but must be available to work if necessary”.

The following requirements must be met in relation to standby:-[i]

• it must be agreed to by the domestic worker in the contract of employment;
• where an employer requires a domestic worker to be placed on standby he/she must receive an allowance of at least R30.00 per standby shift;
• a domestic worker may not be placed on standby more than five times per month or fifty times per year; and
• if the domestic worker is required to work while on standby, then in addition to the R30.00 allowance per shift he she is entitled to overtime or paid time off (click to see the overtime section for an example of the calculation).

[i] See section 14 of Sectoral Determination 7